2012 Pinot Noir

Adam Lee is among the most self-deprecating and sardonic producers that you'll meet, and he called 2012 the type of vintage that would "make you look like a real loser" if you didn't make great wines. He's among a number of producers who think that as pretty as most 2012s might be, or already are, "2011 is just a great year for pinot." Siduri, like Loring Wine Company, is a producer whose oft-maligned, fruit-centric wines (which were the style here a decade ago, no question) deserve another look from skeptical drinkers who prize restraint over flamboyance.

It's hard to believe Adam Lee and Dianna Novy are celebrating their 20th anniversary making Pinot Noir. Time really does fly. This year I tasted a wide range of wines from both the Siduri label, which focuses on Pinot, and Novy (reviewed separately), which encompasses everything else. The differences between the two ranges are striking. At Siduri, the challenges of making Pinot Noir in 2012 are evident. Mother Nature was very generous with yields, something that can be the kiss of death with fragile varieties, including Pinot Noir. The choice was to thin further and risk rapid accumulation of sugars, or bleed in the cellar to restore concentration, which is what ended up hapenning. In my view, the 2012s might have been bled too aggressively. The fruit is concentrated through the process of bleeing, that is true, but the tannins can also be overdone, which is what happened here. Overall, the 2012 Siduri Pinots are very dark, powerful and tannic. Interestingly, other varieties are more forgiving with respect to yields, which is one of the main reasons the Novy wines are stronger across the board in 2012.

Proprietors Adam and Dianna Lee have done a terrific job with their 2011s. Not surprisingly, the 2012s are potentially even better. As always, I have a soft spot for the appellation Pinots in the Siduri range. The vineyard designates are usually terrific, but for the money and pure value it's hard to beat the entry-level Pinots. The 2011s are the result of a very strict selection process. The willingness to make those hard choices, especially hard in low yielding vintages, is what separates top wineries from the rest. As an example, in 2011 there are no John Sebastiano and Cargasacchi Pinots. All of that wine went into the straight Sta. Rita Hills Pinot, along with most of the juice from Clos Pepe. Adam Lee describes 2012 as a year with excellent and consistent ripening but late malos that will ultimately result in some of these wines being bottled a little bit later than normal.